Matriculated
by silbern-spell
Summary: Several mutant kids escape from a military research facility, and try to return to the lives they once lived. But they must now contend with a world that hates them, and the military that wants them back. --WEEK'S UP!
1. Story Basics and OC Applications

Matriculated: An X-Men: Evolution Fic  
  
Setting: One or two days after "Day of Reckoning", in another part of the USA.  
  
Basic Plot: Several mutant kids escape from a military research facility during the ensuing chaos and return to their homes, seeking comfort and refuge from the many hardships they suffered during their imprisonment. What they find, however, will forever change their lives.  
  
This chapter and the next will be for the OC application and announcement. You know the drill - fill out the form, leave the review/send an email and check back in a week or so. Here are a few guidelines:  
  
*****Character Creation*****  
  
Age group - I really don't have any age group bracket/requirement, just make sure that you character's physiological and mental characteristics/traits are appropriate for their age. For example, if your character is, say 5 or 6, it's probably impossible for their mutant abilities to manifest themselves naturally, since mutant powers supposedly manifest themselves at the onset of puberty. There's a loophole to this - since the mutants were imprisoned in a scientific/military facility, you can say that your character's powers were forced out.  
  
Powers - Please refrain from giving your characters the exact same "main" powers that have already been given to XME characters (ex. Shadowcat's phasing ability). If you'd like, you can use these powers as some sort of "side powers" or secondary powers, meaning that they can have the same abilities but with different limitations (ex. OC with Rogue's power can use only one absorbed power at a time). You can do combinations if you feel like it, but the "different limitations" clause stays in effect.  
  
Residency - What I'm aiming for is the perspective from another part of the country/world - different states or countries may not necessarily have the exact same reaction to mutants as to Bayville's. You can still do Bayville, but be creative.  
  
Familial relationships - No immediate relatives, please (brothers/sisters). Nieces, second cousins, distant relatives, aunts/uncles, etc. are allowed, but be creative.  
  
"Reusing" of Characters - If you've done this sort of thing before, and your character was accepted, don't reuse them.  
  
Alliances - This won't be coming for a while, as the characters may meet the X-Men/Brotherhood/Acolytes in the middle/near-end of the story.  
  
*****Miscellany*****  
  
This will not be an interactive story. Human characters are welcome (though I doubt any of you would settle for just a normal human.. ^^;) Though it'll be more of an introspective story, there WILL be fights. ^_^ Be as descriptive as possible about your character. I like details. ^_^ You can also email me: istprimer@yahoo.com NO FLOODING PLEASE. ;___________________; Leave your email so I can contact you.  
  
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That's just about it. On to the form!  
  
Full Name:  
  
Age:  
  
Date of Birth:  
  
Gender:  
  
Nationality:  
  
Codename:  
  
Physical appearance & Vital Statistics: (don't forget the details!)  
  
Power/s: (include useful/practical applications, and limitations)  
  
Residence: (country, state or neighborhood; include the "environment"/culture/social characteristics)  
  
Family:  
  
Life before imprisonment/capture: (biography)  
  
Did He/She Go to School:  
  
How'd He/She Was Captured:  
  
How Powers Manifested:  
  
Fashion/Clothing Preferences: (include a sample wardrobe/getup if you can)  
  
Personality:  
  
How He/She Views The Whole Mutants-and-Humans Issue:  
  
Reaction towards Humans:  
  
Favorites: (food, music, colors, etc.)  
  
Hobbies/Special Interests:  
  
Any Quirks/Habits:  
  
Talents/Skills Aside from Powers:  
  
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Email me for any questions you'd like to ask or extra details you'd like to add. See you guys in a week! ^_____^  
  
"One runs the risk of weeping a little, if one lets himself be tamed."  
- The Little Prince 


	2. The Results Are In!

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Matriculated - An X-Men: Evolution Fic

The week's up and the results are **IN**!

I would like to thank all of those people who submitted characters to mine humble fic, without whom none of this would be sensible enough to pursue.

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Enough with that…. And on to the **chosen**:

Vincent Kane O' Rilley/ Whiplash Shaena Depth/Necro Mason Grant/Nightshift Larisa Galya/Shoot Alexa Marie Jones/Diabolic Elva Olafs/Bam Melissa Morgan/Dragon 

In case you're wondering, I chose these characters based on two criteria: _description _and _availability_. 

The first criterion refers to how well your character was described – personality, history, physical appearance, environment and powers (with emphasis on the last two). What I meant by _detailed_ was that enough information was submitted to give me a (relatively) clear picture of what your character would be like. 

The second criterion simply refers to your character's originality – I believe that's it's wrong to be using any characters that have already been used in other fics. I've gone through the most recent OC fics (from around September to this month) to ensure that I don't accidentally accept any OCs that have already been accepted by other authors. I chose to go through fics published within these two months because I don't have enough time to go through _all_ OC fics ever published on FF.Net, and because only a handful of OC fics are updated regularly. 

__

Note: The OC fics I'm referring to are those that ask for original characters from readers, such as what my fic has done. 

The only reasons that an OC was not accepted would be either because the description was too vague and the contributor did not bother to send any sort of follow-up info on his/her character, or the character has already been used in a fic. 

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Here are the other Mutant OCs that your characters will come into contact with:

Full Name: Cerise James

Age: 18

Date of Birth: June 14, 1985

Gender: Female

Nationality: Filipino-American (Filipino by blood, American by jus soli/by birthplace)

Codename: Blitz

Physical Appearance & Vital Statistics: 

- 5'8" tall; approx. 130 lbs.

- Very dark brown hair (looks black but the brown color shows under light) that reaches just past her collarbones, "pseudo-bangs" (hair that's too short to tie back, but are definitely not actual bangs); almond-shaped eyes, with bright, honey-colored irises

- Tanned complexion; fairly feminine build (not curvy, but certainly not too muscular or shapeless - bordering between feminine and sporty); long, slender fingers; slightly large feet; fairly-proportioned "assets" *wink* 

- Two silver studs with midnight blue rhinestones on each earlobe; clear nail polish and lip gloss 

Powers: Cerise can generate purple-colored energy, and use this energy in any way she sees fit (ex. creating barriers, " flying saucers", etc.) Think "Green Lantern" or "Cyclops" and "Gambit" put together - she can use her energy as either force or "actual", charged energy (ex. used as energy bolts or energy. She can also use this energy to enable her to fly. 

*Weakness: Using her powers can tire her out. She can't use as much energy when she's tired. 

Residence: Used to be in Manhattan, but moved to the Philippines and settled in the suburbs. Oddly quiet place - not a whole lot of traffic to endure, not much crime, showing signs of industrial development but still retaining enough of itself to instill that "homey" feeling. There are a lot of trees around for a suburban neighborhood. There is a good deal of racial tolerance, but who knows when the mutant factor is thrown into the equation. A good portion of the population is religious, ranging from simple believer, to devout worshipper, to fanatical disciple, and not much is known or heard about of mutants... 

Family: Born into a well-to-do family. Father is an executive, mother is a housewife/teacher, is elder sister to 3 other siblings. Aside from the occasional sibling fights, and disagreements with the parents, everything was hunky-dory. 

Life before imprisonment/capture: Cerise had been living a normal, relatively uneventful life of a second-year college student cursed with a lot of schoolwork, until what she calls the "reality syndrome" hit her. She felt so overwhelmed and unprepared for what she was about to face - job/career prospects, relationships, her place in mainstream society (the world after school in general) - that she found herself shying away from her studies, and in time, her family. Cerise felt that she needed time to think, and that her present situation would not give her that time, so she took a leave from school and headed to Manhattan to take a short break. She was supposed to meet with an uncle shortly after arriving, but was instead "picked up" by another "relative" with the excuse that the uncle was sick. Cerise didn't notice that something was wrong until the so-called relative pointed a gun at her, calling her "mutant scum". Along with two other mutants, she was then whisked away to a military research facility specializing in "genetic weaponry" - to be more precise, designing military weaponry that utilizes highly specialized cells (mutant DNA).

Did He/She Go to School: Yes - second year college

How He/She was captured: She was waiting to be picked up from the airport by her uncle, but was kidnapped by a government/military agent posing as a relative. They knew she was a mutant because of a tip given to them by another agent, who had witnessed her using her powers back home. 

How Powers Manifested: When Cerise was about 15, she suffered from a bout of terrible headaches that would leave her bedridden for days on end. One night, the headache became so severe that her head felt like it exploded with even the slightest motion. She tried to get her medication from a nearby table, but realized that she wouldn't be able to reach the medicine without getting out of bed and walking towards the table. Just as she thought she would pass out from the pain, there was a small flash of purple, and suddenly her headache disappeared. Some moments later, her vision cleared, and Cerise found that every single thing in her room was floating in mid-air, surrounded by some purple aura. The purple auras had lengths of energy trailing behind them, and all of them traced back to her hands. 

Fashion/Clothing Preference: Cerise likes a casual get-up. She favors a semi-loose, v-necked, three-fourths-sleeved, black cotton blouse with a glittery silver-and-ice blue dolphin design in front (blouse stretches down to her navel area; there are "ends" of cloth on each sleeve, as if the ends of the sleeves were tied together to form a knot). She wears dark blue denim pedal pants (fit, pencil-cut pants that end mid-calf) and soft, black leather slip-ons. Her hair is in a loose ponytail; she has a silver wristwatch on her left arm, and a thick silver bracelet on her right. She wears an anklet with blue and green transparent beads on her right foot. 

Personality: Cerise is the quiet girl in the corner when left alone; however, if you bring up the right topic, she'll be more than interested in the conversation. Despite this, she's not unfriendly - she approaches people and usually makes the introduction. To those who know her, she's very accommodating and approachable. Cerise has some "motherly" tendencies - she can be protective of her friends, especially of the younger ones. She will do what she can to help when called upon. However, Cerise shuns "unnecessary" responsibilities - she's the type that makes a lot of suggestions (sometimes helpful, sometimes just plain nuts), but refuses to take an active role in group work when there's somebody else to apply the suggestions or to be team leader. She will, however, take the lead when she sees that no one else has and that it's absolutely imperative that someone is in control. She's usually calm, pragmatic and civilized, but can be bitchy and sarcastic when annoyed, agitated or panicky. She can come off as nuts on occasion, maybe when she overdoes a joke a teensy bit. Cerise is patient, though too much of an irritant can set her off. She's also got a healthy sense of humor - Cerise enjoys a good prank or two, as long as it doesn't do any serious damage. 

How He/She Views The Whole Mutants-and-Humans Issue: "We're not that different from other people - we get hungry, we need sleep, we can laugh, cry, think and bleed. It's just other people can't fly, teleport, or shoot deadly energy beams from their hands."

Reaction towards Humans: The majority needs to be properly informed about mutants, in an unbiased, objective way. It's in man's nature to fear what he doesn't understand, so if he has sufficient knowledge of things around him, he can learn to live with them harmoniously. 

Favorites:

*Food: pasta, pizza, burgers, veggies, Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese 

*Music: J-pop, classical, soft rock, alternative, and the occasional pop song

*Colors: black, blue, silver, green, and purple

*TV Shows: anime, Friends, documentaries on Discovery

Hobbies/Special Interests: Cerise loves to cook, draw, and curl up with a good book or two in hand. She also enjoys solving riddles, classical and local mythology, and flying (with the help of her powers).

Any Quirks/Habits: She's semi-obsessed with clean bathrooms. She also has a tendency of tugging at her earlobes, and saying curse words even when she's not agitated. Cerise is somewhat disorganized, so her plans/strategies often come out half-baked.

Talents/Skills Aside from Powers: Good in English and Filipino, can clean and cook, can type really fast, can draw; She also has a gift of micro-management, though this only comes out when she's not trying too hard; Her hunches are correct a good deal of the time

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Full Name: Shinta Parker

Age: 11

Date of Birth: February 23, 1992

Gender: Male

Nationality: 50% Japanese, 50% American (Japanese mom, American dad)

Codename: Sparky

Physical Appearance & Vital Statistics: 

- 5'0" tall; approx. 93 lbs.

- Short, jet black hair that's all messed up (think Harry Potter); wide eyes with dark blue irises 

- Pale complexion; short, skinny physical build 

- A pair of small, black-rimmed glasses with thick lenses 

Powers: Shinta's hands become "living wires" – a whole bunch of wires that meld seamlessly with his flesh. He is capable of hacking, reprogramming, rewiring or reconfiguring anything that's got even a scrap of wire in it. (Think Forge, but Shinta can use both hands, and instead of tools/instruments, wires) He can also "repair" his hands – if they are injured in any way, he can simply add more wiring to his hands to repair the injury. Shinta can reshape his hands as well – he can mold them into any shape he needs them to be (ex. If the situation involves delicate wiring, he can shape his fingers into tiny needles). The information he gets using the wires are stored directly in his brain.

*Weakness: Shinta's more vulnerable to injuries such as electrocution or "power surges", which can seriously harm his hands. 

Residence: An apartment in downtown Los Angeles. Save for the handful of gossipy old ladies, everybody more or less minded their own business. There wasn't enough time to go socializing with the neighbors on a regular basis because of fast-paced living, so you could live virtually unnoticed unless your boom box was on high or you did something that would easily grab everyone's attention. Traffic, pollution and crime were part of daily life. 

Family: Dad and Mom were both engineering professors, but working at different universities. Shinta was an only child. Immediate relatives were mostly in different states. 

Life before imprisonment/capture: Life basically consisted of school and home. School would begin around 8:00. Math, English, Science and History comprised most of the day. Art and Gym took up what was left of the afternoon. After school, Shinta would be picked up by Mom on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and by Dad on Tuesdays and Fridays. Upon arrival from school, homework became the agenda until 6 PM. Dinner would be served at 7, a bit of leisure time after that and until 10. Needless to say, the poor boy's life was nothing more than one, big schedule. There was a bit of time for leisure, perhaps family bonding, but the latter really didn't have any significant influence on Shinta. His parents were perpetually busy and family bonding usually meant doing homework together or asking engineering questions. Not that Shinta needed the help – he was a year or two ahead of his class, but due to financial constraints he could not be accelerated. Shinta never really felt that he "fit in" – he was too far ahead of his peers to be able to socialize properly (if _you_ were an ordinary 11-year old kid, wouldn't you rather talk about _video games_ rather than the latest motherboards on the market?). He found solace in his pastime of fiddling with wires and such. His parents recognized his potential, but once again, due to time and financial constraints, they couldn't do much for him. 

Did He/She Go to School: Yes – 6th grade

How He/She was captured: Shinta and his parents went to a carnival on one of their rare holidays. Some short-circuiting occurred on one of the roller coaster "ships" (which, incidentally, was the ride they were on), and the ride stopped, stranding all its passengers on the top of the highest loop. Shinta didn't want the day to be ruined, so he repaired the short-circuit himself while everybody else was busy praying and panicking. After the ride, he got separated from his parents by the throng of people eager to get away as far as possible from the ride. He was kidnapped by one of the passengers on the roller coaster, and brought to a small plane hidden nearby. The man was a "sleeper" agent for the military research division, and Shinta was taken to the "facility".

How Powers Manifested: Shinta woke up one Saturday morning to find that his hands were extremely itchy. He tried everything to get rid of the sensation – ice, ointment, etc. – but nothing would work. He knew it wasn't an allergy, or an insect bite, so naturally he was worried. After a half-hour or so, the itching was so intense that Shinta was unable to use his hands for anything, and resorted to rubbing them against the carpet to seek relief. Suddenly, little wires started sprouting from his fingertips, and spread to his hands. Like snakes, they slithered and writhed about, attaching themselves to various objects within the vicinity of the apartment. Eventually the wires retracted themselves and returned to Shinta's hands, leaving the poor boy with a good deal of repairing to do. 

Fashion/Clothing Preference: Shinta's usually dressed in a loose green t-shirt with a cartoon-style PC monitor in front, simple blue jeans and white-and-green rubber shoes. He wears a black digital wristwatch on his left, and constantly fiddles with it when he's idle.

Personality: Shinta's pretty quiet for his age. He doesn't hang around other people besides his friends very much, and will not voluntarily involve himself with group activities. But like any other kid, a fair amount of coaxing and a sincere invitation will change his mind. Shinta's relatively calmer and more patient than other kids his age. He's not prone to do anything rash, unless he's agitated, confused or scared. Shinta has a funny sense of tact – he can be very blunt when talking to people, but he can tell when somebody needs some breathing room. He's not very open when he's with unfamiliar company; he rarely smiles or talks around strangers. To those who know him, he's just like any other kid – a little quieter, a bit stiffer, less active, but still a kid. Shinta's also got a softer side to him – he's very protective of his friends and family, and can be the proverbial "shoulder to cry on" in his own way. 

How He/She Views The Whole Mutants-and-Humans Issue: None yet

Reaction towards Humans: Ever since he discovered his powers, he's been very cautious around humans. 

Favorites:

*Food: pizza, burgers, sour-cream and cheese potato chips, green tea ice cream

*Music: none yet

*Colors: black, green 

*TV Shows: Saturday morning cartoons, sometimes Discovery 

Hobbies/Special Interests: Shinta loves to mess around with anything with wires, be it repairing or inventing; he loves to read Popular Mechanics, and to build model robots, cars and airplanes. And like boys his age, he adores video games.

Any Quirks/Habits: He adjusts his glasses from time to time, for no apparent reason. He avoids extremely sugary foods. 

Talents/Skills Aside from Powers: Good hand-eye coordination; excellent player at Tekken 4 and tactical games

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Full Name: Adam Steiner

Age: 18

Date of Birth: July 26, 1985 

Gender: Male

Nationality: American 

Codename: Morpheus

Physical Appearance & Vital Statistics: 

- 6'0" tall; approx. 170 lbs.

- Shaggy, chocolate brown hair (think Lance); narrow eyes with smoke-gray irises; has a perennial smirk on his face 

- Healthy semi-tan complexion; tall, slightly muscular build 

Powers: Adam can distort, or "morph", his surroundings into whatever environment best suits his needs. It's basically telekinesis, but on a molecular level. For example, if he's standing on a plain and he needs height advantage, he can either raise himself up, or create an indentation on the ground. Or, if he's up against the wall and he needs protection, he can stretch the walls, place them around him and shield himself. Let's make this a little easier - try to imagine that Adam's surroundings are clay, and Adam can shape that clay into anything he wants. The distortion in the environment is temporary- it wears off as soon as Adam leaves the immediate vicinity. Aside from his "morphing" ability, Adam can sense fellow mutants (Mutation can be viewed as some sort of distortion in the natural order, right?). 

*Weakness: Just hit him to make whatever he's doing stop. That is, if you _can_.

Residence: In an abandoned warehouse in downtown Manhattan. Lots of people, lots of stores, lots of cars – it's got everything any thief could possibly require. There is, of course, the little issue of security. Only the best or the most experienced of the lot can thrive, what with the frequent police patrols and security devices around. 

Family: No living relatives left. Lives with a gang of street urchins. 

Life before imprisonment/capture: Life was considerably hard. Your meal for the next day depended on how good your "skills" were, how fast you could run, and how quick you could get rid of the "loot". The more "catches" you made meant the more dangerous the city became to you. Though police security was relatively light, you still had to be careful. Being in a group gave you a good advantage, but it was hard to completely trust your fellow thieves, or "crew". If one should slip-up, it could mean disaster for everybody else. 

Did He/She Go to School: Yes – attended a special "literacy drive" for some time. He knows how to read, write and some basic math. 

How He/She was captured: Adam was wandering around the city one morning, looking for a potential target, when two men in black uniforms and a woman came up to him. Adam immediately recognized the woman as the call girl he had robbed three years ago, and thought that he was going to be arrested. He made a run for it, but didn't get far. He felt a stinging sensation on his back, and everything went dark. When he came to, he was in a small plane with a girl and a small boy, both restrained, and both with strange guns trained at their heads. 

How Powers Manifested: A 15-year old Adam was on one of his nightly solo grab-and-run routines. He had hit the jackpot early – his first catch of the night had earned him roughly $200, and from a call girl on stilettos, no less. He was occupied with the money so much, he failed to notice that the woman had been tailing him all this time. Naturally he ran, seeking the safety of the many corners and alleyways of his territory, but apparently the woman was familiar with the place as well. Eventually she caught up with him, and cornered him at a dark dead-end. He panicked as she took out a gun, cocked it and trained it at his head. Suddenly everything started warping out of shape – the walls began stretching, the ground became uneven, and the broken lampposts seemed to meld with each other. Like everybody else, the call girl freaked out and ran for her life. He freaked out too, and ran for it. When he finally calmed down he returned to the spot to find that everything returned to its previous state. Adam wasn't quite sure what was happening to him, so he conveniently forgot to tell his fellow thieves about how his run went. Eventually he figured out how to control his ability, but never really figured out how to tell his "crew" about it, so he never did.

Fashion/Clothing Preference: Adam wears an old, red sweater with two big pockets at the sides, a black, sleeveless polyester shirt, and faded blue jeans with fraying seams. He wears fingerless black gloves, and faded red sneakers. Around his neck are a thick, gold-plated chain and a small Volkswagen hood ornament on a string (given to him by one of his crew). 

Personality: Adam is a hot-blooded, bullheaded waif who's used to getting his own way, without so much as a thought for anyone else. He's cocky and reckless, which can sometimes get him into more trouble than he wants. He won't think twice about stealing from anybody, as long as he and his "crew" are in need of it. He's also a bit of a tactless loudmouth – since he's the leader of the gang nobody really questions him, and nobody bothers to point out how close his foot gets to his mouth. Adam has no loyalties to anyone other than himself – he'd abandon his "crew" as soon as he can find greener pastures. He's not all grime, however – he would never stoop so low as to hit/physically harm kids or women. He steals only when in need (most of the time, anyway), and he provides for his friends in his own little ways. He's got a sarcastic, somewhat self-deprecating sense of humor, and is most likely the instigator of pranks. Adam isn't the most levelheaded of people, and would rather slug it out somewhere than talk. He can keep a grudge for as long as the stars shine, but can dismiss an offense with nothing more than a casual wave of the hand.

How He/She Views The Whole Mutants-and-Humans Issue: "It's us, or them." 

Reaction towards Humans: Even before he became a mutant, Adam never had any regard for people other than himself and the gang. He'll most likely keep robbing them blind, but not as often as he used to. 

Favorites:

*Food: Extra-hot chilidogs

*Music: alternative

*Colors: black, orange 

*TV Shows: none

Hobbies/Special Interests: Doing simple magic tricks (he may use his powers or not). 

Any Quirks/Habits: Paces around and/or drums his fingers against tables or walls when he's nervous or agitated. He's always seen with a toothpick in his mouth. Adam avoids giving anyone a promise or word of honor – despite his being a thief, he gives special importance to trust, especially in friends. 

Talents/Skills Aside from Powers: Gifted with fast reflexes, agility, and very good hands. Street-wise, and a good driver. Adam knows a bit of street fighting, and is also a fairly good mechanic. 

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Tell me how your characters would react to these other characters - leave me a review, or send me an e-mail. ^_^; (It's really important that you do)

Also, I would like you guys to know that due to time constraints (A.k.a. School), updating may take a while (say one or two months). However, rest assured that I have no intention of abandoning the fic (it's my only one, how _can_ I?). 

That's it for me then. See you soon! ^_________^

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"One runs the risk of weeping, if one lets himself be tamed."

- The Little Prince


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